'Eagle Wharf' 1859 etching Collection of the National Gallery of Australiaclick to enlarge

The Beehive watermark

Photographed in transmitted light, the 'beehive' watermark with the
initials DEDB (De Erven de Blauw) is enclosed by ornate scrollwork of
leaves and flowers crowned with a fruit tree. Its execution is more sophisticated
than many earlier versions. The lack of flocking along the visible chain
lines indicates that the paper used is not an early Antique laid paper.

The 'beehive' watermark originated with a family of Dutch papermakers
by the name of Honig [honey], who owned mills in Zaandyk (1675–1902).
The coat of arms of the Honig family (incorporating
the beehive motif) became a watermark extensively copied throughout
the Netherlands and abroad in places such as Russia and Scandinavia.1 The
'beehive' watermark became a common motif for Dutch papermakers and those
who wished to allude to Dutch papermaking. Eventually it also came to
represent a particular paper size.2

Drawn illustration of the De
Erven de Blauw 'beehive' watermark click
to enlarge

This watermark is a 'beehive' variation belonging to the Dutch papermakers
De Erven de Blauw c.1822. The papermakers founded by Dirk
and Cornelis Blauw operated five wind-powered papermills in the Zaanstreek
region, North Holland. The firm survived for more than 250 years under
many different names.